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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27085786">Your Rocks are my Rocks</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fictropes/pseuds/Fictropes'>Fictropes</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Attempt at humour, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, museum employee dan, norman..</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-09 02:33:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,701</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27085786</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fictropes/pseuds/Fictropes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Phil wants a new rock for Norman, Dan wants a peaceful life.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dan Howell/Phil Lester</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>101</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Im-PROMPT-u Phandom Creator Challenge 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Your Rocks are my Rocks</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>for im-prompt-u day 18! Word: stranger</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">There’s a tall weird dude stood in the corner of his shop.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He’s picked up the same rock eleven times now, fiddled with it in those massive hands that Dan is definitely not looking at. He puts it down every time, look elsewhere— comes back to it. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Dan thinks if he’s a thief he’s a god-awful one, he’d be right at the top of the suspect list. Not that there would be a suspect list, the rock costs a fiver and the museum security are much more interested in stopping actual artefact thief. A weird dude stealing a copy of a much more valuable rock is probably bottom of their priorities. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He’s in front of the stuffed animals now - the puppets - looking about two seconds away from trying one on before he realises Dan is properly staring at him. He offers a sheepish looks, puts the puppet toucan down and circles back to the rock. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It’s getting to the point where Dan feels a bit sorry for him— wants to offer to buy the rock, take it out of his wages.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It’s back in his hand this time, more so than it had been before. He’s holding it tightly, stepping away from the shelf he’d picked it up from. He’s made a decision— oh no, he’s putting it back on the shelf. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">It’s a bit hard to look away from, Dan’s in it now— needs to know how this is going to end. Wants to know if the man will overcome his fears, turn this in to a rock to lovers scenario. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He’s weird, Dan’s fascinated— watches long legs stride across the shop and pause in front of the colourful fish toys. He picks one of those up, walks back across the shop and places it next to the rock. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Dan goes all wide-eyed, hadn’t seen it coming. It’s like the worlds strangest movie and he’s getting to watch it all for free— in fact he’s actually technically getting paid to watch it. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He stares, bites down on his bottom lip. It’s a nice mouth, all plush and pink and perfectly shaped for kisses and— christ, Dan really is in fantasy land now. It’s been a long day, he’s on the closing shift and the museum isn’t exactly a party place on a Tuesday afternoon—so sue him if he allows himself to occasionally fall in love with pretty strangers. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">This stranger is possibly the prettiest stranger Dan’s ever seen, though— even if he is ramming a blue toy fish into a rock. He’s tall, not as tall as Dan but that’s hardly new. His eyes are bright even from the other end of the shop, the one time they’d glanced over at him Dan almost lost his mind. </span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Black hair is being overtaken by brown, under the big light in the centre of the room Dan swears he can see the barest hint of grey. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He’s just very nice to look at. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He’s also coming this way, rock and fish in hand.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Hi. I would.. like these, please.” He drops them onto the counter, also drops his phone and ends up holding Dan’s hand for a second when they both attempt to pick it up. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Sorry, sorry. Soft hands, though!” Dan is going to go into the back room an execute himself, ram his stupid tiny non-fish head into a rock until he forgets complimenting the softness of a strangers skin. “I mean—“</span>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">But weird tall dude just smiles, brushes it off with a, “Thanks! I moisturise. Actually, I just got this new autumn-y cream from the bodyshop. It smells of pumpkin and vanilla, here—“</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><br/><br/>Dan has a handful of lotion, can do nothing whilst this stranger rubs it into his skin like they’re doing a lush store roleplay. It’s so disarmingly intimate that Dan can hardly breathe— stares down at the man's hand against his hand and starts to wonder when they’ll move in together. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“It’s— god..actually, that’s really nice.” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Right?” He smiles, and of course the smile is radiant. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Anyway.” Dan shakes his head, resets the moment. If they go on like this Dan’s heart will be going home in a museum gift bag with weird dude, too. “Big rock decision, huh?” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><br/><br/>He rings them up, notes the bit of a battering the plastic fish has taken— head all dented, shavings of blue probably left behind on the shelf. He must be a quite nice person if he still opted to buy this one, most customers would dump it—leave Dan to find it and mark down the price due to damages. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Oh! You saw me being all weird then?” He laughs, tongue peeking out of the corner of his mouth like it has the <em>right— </em>like it doesn’t cause Dan to delve deeper into whatever domestic land he’d built up in his head. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I mean, you picked it up quite a lot.” He wraps them both up in tissue paper even though he doesn’t have to, even though he’s never done it for any customer before now(unless they specifically asked). </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I have a fish at home, he’s quite.. particular. He sort of loves his own territory. I thought at first it was just other fish, you know? I used to hold up photos next to his tank and he’s ram into them.” And maybe this is what love at first sight is, twenty-nine years on earth and Dan finally believes in the concept. “So no more fish, obviously. Then I put a new rock in there and he just lost it. He used all his little fin power to smash into it and I obviously had to take it out before he.. you know.” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“That sounds like a tv show i’d watch, will this fish like the ornament? Vote now, texts cost 50p plus your standard network charge.” Dan has done the wrapping, done the everything that means the stranger has to hang around. “What’s he called?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><br/><br/>“The.. rock?”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><br/><br/>“No!” Dan laughs, dimples caving in the way they do when he’s particularly delighted. “The fish.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><br/><br/>“Oh.. yeah, that makes more sense. He’s called Norman, don’t ask why, I don’t know.” He’s slow to put his card into the machine, <em>forgets</em> his pin number twice and Dan wonders if it’s because maybe he wants to hang around, too. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Fun! I love animals with really oddly human names, my family has a dog called Colin.” That’s a way to get him to stay, won’t leave until Dan shows him photos. Until they’re leant over the cash desk, shoulder to shoulder scrolling through Dan’s instagram.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“He has such long eyelashes!” He coos, stroking Dan’s screen like Colin will be able to feel it all the way back home. “Like you.” He adds on, a bit quieter, a bit more red cheeked.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Dan snorts, but the rosy patch on his jaw betrays him and his trying to be cool and calm act. “Thanks. I grew them myself.” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Well, all of you grew very nicely.” Weird fish man does a full body sweep, still leant over the cash desk like a cheeky fucker. “Anyway, i’d best be off. Sure you have other people to serve.” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He does, hadn’t noticed the small line forming as he flirted with - probably - the love of his life. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Oh, shit. Say hi to Norman for me!”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">-</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>@amazingphil: hi, this is super weird and I promise i’m not stalking you.. but your insta name stuck in my head and I just wanted to show you Norman liking the rock! I wanted to try one last time and it paid off. obviously don’t reply if you don’t want, this is weird, isn’t it? i’m sorry. </em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"> <em>@Danielhowell: not weird. I’m very happy to know I have superior rocks</em> </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">-</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">There’s a tall weird dude stood in the corner of his shop.</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He’s picking up a rock that’s shaped like a heart— not a replica of anything themuseum actually has, just a cheap novelty that people buy into. People like Dan and Phil, apparently. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Hi.” Phil smiles, suddenly in front of him. “I’d just like this please.”</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1"><br/><br/>Then he starts fiddling with the keyrings, fingers catching on one and it causes about thirty more to fall down. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Phil!” Dan whines, he’d organised them all earlier on out of pure boredom alone. “Go be a menace somewhere else.”</span>
</p><p class="p1"><br/><br/>“I’m buying you a heart rock! You can’t be mean to me.” Phil isn’t even helping, just watching Dan drop to his knees. “Bit inappropriate, you’re at work.”</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Oh, fuck off. Like you’d say no.” He rescues the keyrings from beneath the counter, slams them all up onto the desk in a way he hopes conveys how evil he thinks Phil is. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You’re right.” Phil smiles, leans over to tuck a wild curl behind Dan’s ear. “What do you want for dinner tonight?”</span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“This rock isn’t dinner?” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I mean, we can try.. but there are easier ways to lose all your teeth.” Phil shrugs, lingering in Dan’s space like he doesn’t want to leave even though they’ll see each other in a few hours. This is a regular occurrence. Phil works just down the road, if Dan’s on shift he’ll pop into see him on the way home— he’ll buy a rock every single time. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Wanna order from that new sushi place?” He’s finally gathered all the key rings, and at least Pihl has given him a new task— organising them twice in one day isn’t his idea of fun, but at least it’s <em>something. </em></span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Sounds good.” Phil takes his new rock, swings the carrier bag around in his hand violently. One day he’ll go too hard with it, smash straight through the glass counter and get Dan fired. </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Cool." Dan smiles. "And please don’t put that rock on the back of the toilet again, the last one attacked me whilst I was peacefully having a piss.” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Noted.” He sneaks in a kiss, a quick <em>your manager is never actually here</em> kiss. “Love you.” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Love you too, but get out of my shop before you cause anymore damage.” </span>
</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">And in a few hours time Dan will lock up, return to his flat where he’ll find a tall weird dude and ninety-nine rocks. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>
  <a href="https://fictropes.tumblr.com/post/632339829261271040/your-rocks-are-my-rockscomplete-1699-wordsphil">if you wanna reblog on tumblr! I always appreciate it :)</a>
</p><p> </p><p>as always, lemme know your thoughts ! ( i love reading all your commetns and i promise they all make me scream, i'm just a menace at replying cos i always wanna come up with something special to say hgfrfewrt)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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